My Annual 40 Days

This is my fourth year to "celebrate" the 40 days before my birthday. To be honest, I almost didn't even try this year, but when talking with my sister, we talked about 40 days--the fun of celebrating for that long, the benefits, and many different things. After talking with her, I just couldn't miss this.

If you've spent any time with me here at Patterings, you've heard this before, but I need this reminder...

When we see 40 days in the Bible, it is a time when God made major changes and transformations. It's a journey that leads to growth and change. Preparation.

Think about the changes God made in these times...

Noah—40 days and 40 nights of rain.

Moses—his whole life went by 40 year increments--starting with being 40 when he fled from Pharaoh and started a new life, 40 years on the backside of the desert, and 40 years leading Israel, then also 40 days on Mount Sinai.

Israel—ate manna for 40 years while wandering in the desert.

Spies that Moses sent out—in Canaan for 40 days.

Elijah—in the wilderness for 40 days.

Jonah—warned Nineveh they had 40 days to repent.

I want changes in my life.
I want to be susceptible to God.
I want to catch His drift for my life.

So these next 40 days will be a time of seeking God. I wish I could withdraw from life for this time, but I can't. In fact, it could be busier than usual, which means I'll have to be intentional in this...which just might be the key to all this. =)So tell me, have you done 40 days for something or is there something you might consider a special 40 day period for?

Since Patty quit running from God's call on her life and surrendered her pen to Him, she's been happy. Life is never dull as she juggles being a wife, mom to a handful of kids and a couple of Capuchin monkeys, life on the road, and being a writer. As long as she's obeying God's leading, she figures that sanity is a novelty and not a necessity in the zoo she lives in. Patty clings to the promise that God will enable her to do what He asks of her, otherwise she would be living with the scaredy cats at the Funny Farm and not just occasionally visiting. You can find her on Instagram, too, where she daily sneaks in a few sane moments.